Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell drives round Dallas’ Dwight Powell in Recreation 4 of first-round playoff collection in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
When Donovan Mitchell felt ache in his higher left leg in the course of the fourth quarter of the Utah Jazz’s Recreation 5 playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night time, it scared him.
Comfortable tissue accidents have plagued many NBA gamers throughout these playoffs. Mavericks star Luka Doncic missed the primary three video games of this collection with a calf pressure, the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown has had some points with a hamstring, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Khris Middleton is coping with an MCL sprain, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is sidelined with a hamstring harm, and that’s simply an abbreviated listing that doesn’t embrace gamers with upper-body accidents or sickness.
Moreover, Mitchell has seen what a hamstring harm can do when it compelled Mike Conley to overlook vital time throughout final yr’s playoffs.
Fortunately for Mitchell, imaging and testing confirmed that there’s no injury or harm to his hamstring. The ache Mitchell felt was coming from a quadriceps contusion, which implies that whereas he’ll cope with some tenderness and soreness within the space, it’s not one thing that may hold him from taking part in.
“What I (thought I) felt was within the hammy — knock on wooden, I’ve by no means had a hamstring harm earlier than — so I used to be nervous,” Mitchell stated after Jazz observe on Wednesday. “However the MRI got here again detrimental and informed us what we already knew.”
Mitchell had been coping with bruising on each of his quads (the right-side hit in Recreation 4 and the left earlier in Recreation 5), however it was solely after going up for a shot with 4:55 left to play in Recreation 5 that he began to really feel vital ache and out of warning and fear left the sport and underwent further examinations.
Following Recreation 5 Mitchell was fairly sure that he would be capable of play in Recreation 6, barring any sudden outcomes from his MRI on Tuesday morning. His certainty was solidified when the outcomes got here again detrimental.
“I’ll be able to go tomorrow,” Mitchell stated.
This story will probably be up to date.